By Chris Oddo | Friday September 9, 2016

 

Can Angelique Kerber tack on a second Grand Slam title to go with her No. 1 ranking?

Photo Source: Getty Images

Three weeks ago, Karolina Pliskova won the biggest title of her career and ended Angelique Kerber’s hopes of entering the U.S. Open as the No. 1-ranked player with a stunning 6-3, 6-1 victory over Kerber that featured a whole lot of smashmouth tennis and just six unforced errors from Pliskova.

More: Kerber Ends Wozniacki's Run, Locks Up No. 1 Ranking

In a strange way, that match has been huge for both players. For Pliskova the obvious result has been a ton of confidence. She didn’t just defeat Angelique Kerber in the final, she also defeated two other Top 10 players—Svetlana Kuznetsova and Garbiñe Muguruza—to reach the final. It meant a lot to the 24-year-old Czech and she has parlayed that momentum into a brilliant U.S. Open run that has seen her take down two more Top 10 players and become just the fourth player in history to defeat both Williams sisters at a major.

But what about Kerber? The loss was disappointing at the time, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Kerber went to New York still in search of the No. 1 ranking. Had she become No. 1 she would have been dealing with lots of fanfare and media attention, but since she did not, she was afforded the luxury of being the hunter rather than the hunted at this year's U.S. Open.

She has hunted quite well at the U.S. Open, and with Serena Williams out of the tournament, the German will enter tomorrow’s final knowing that she’ll be No. 1 next week regardless of the outcome. Kerber has dropped a mere 30 games in six matches and she’s into her third Grand Slam final of 2016.

So we will get a rematch after all in this year’s U.S. Open final. No, it won’t be a rematch of the Wimbledon and Australian Open finals between Kerber and Serena Williams—it will be a rematch of the Cincinnati final.

The Players:

[1] Angelique Kerber vs. [10] Karolina Pliskova
Head to Head: Kerber leads 4-3, and 2-1 in finals
Kerber, 2016: 53-14, 8-3 vs. Top 10, 2 titles
Pliskova, 2016: 39-16, 6-3 vs. Top 10, 2 titles

Fatigue Factor

Kerber was fatigued in Cincinnati, having just come from a banner week in Rio where she won the Silver medal (in total she has played 15 hard court matches since the beginning of Montreal). But Kerber should be in much better physical fettle on Saturday evening, benefitting from not playing a single three-set match at the Open, and the fact that she has played on alternating days during the fortnight.

If anybody is fatigued, it could be Pliskova. She hasn’t been tested often in New York, but she is definitely into new psychological territory this week. After saving a match point to slide by Venus Williams in the round of 16, she powered past 18-year-old Ana Konjuh before shocking Serena Williams in the semis. Her confidence will be sky-high, but it could be tricky for Pliskova to keep her mind quiet so that she might summon the magic of her breathtaking power game for one last big match in the final.

What they’re Saying

Pliskova: “Obviously if I play Kerber tomorrow I'll know her very well. We played a lot of times. I lost to her; I won. So I will be ready for anything. That's a final of a Grand Slam, so anything is possible. Of course, probably nerves from both sides. We both have a good chance to win. But, yeah, I will just do anything to win the title here.”

Kerber: “I think my serve have to be very good. I have to move good, as well, to bring a lot of balls back, and playing also more aggressive like I played in Cincinnati. I was just pushing too much the balls there, so I think I will change this a little bit. Go for it, being aggressive. Yeah, I hope my serve will be good on Saturday.”

Numbers to Know:

Kerber is fourth player in Open Era to reach three Grand Slam finals in the same year of reaching her first, after Goolagong Cawley (1971), Graf (1987) and Hingis (1997)

Pliskova has made her simultaneous Grand Slam R16, QF, SF and final debuts in New York. The last player to do this at the same major was Amelie Mauresmo at 1999 Australian Open (l. Hingis in F)

Pick: Kerber in three